Re-charging pack for an e-cigarette

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide a pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette. The pack comprises a pack battery; a body portion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette; a re-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the pack battery; and a lid attached to the body portion. The lid can be opened to allow the e-cigarette to be received into the tube, and closed to retain the e-cigarette in the tube. The pack is configured to transition from a higher power state to a lower power state a predetermined period of time after the lid is opened and before the lid has been shut.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/301,105filed Sep. 30, 2016, which is a National Phase entry of PCT ApplicationNo. PCT/GB2015/050956, filed on Mar. 30, 2016, which claims priority toGB Patent Application No. 1405721.0, filed on Mar. 31, 2014, which arehereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to a re-charging pack for ane-cigarette, such as an electronic vapor provision system or anelectronic nicotine delivery system.

BACKGROUND

Electronic vapor provision systems, electronic nicotine deliverysystems, etc, which are collectively referred to herein as e-cigarettes,generally contain a reservoir of liquid which is to be vaporized. When auser sucks or draws on the device, this activates a heater to vaporize asmall amount of liquid, which is then inhaled by the user. Moste-cigarettes include a re-chargeable battery for supplying electricalpower to the heater and other electrical/electronic components, such asa sensor to detect inhalation. Some e-cigarettes have a cartridgesection. After the nicotine or other liquid in this cartridge has beenexhausted, the empty cartridge can be removed or separated from thee-cigarette and replaced with a new cartridge containing furthernicotine.

E-cigarettes are often supplied in packs for protection and easyportability. Such packs may accommodate multiple e-cigarettes and/orreplacement cartridges, thereby offering a backup facility if onee-cigarette (or its cartridge) is exhausted. An e-cigarette pack mayalso have the ability to re-charge an e-cigarette, again helping toensure good operating availability of the e-cigarette for a user.Typically a pack is provided with a cylindrical hole for receiving ane-cigarette for recharging, the hole generally reflecting the elongated,cylindrical shape of an e-cigarette. When the e-cigarette is located inthe hole, the battery can be re-charged by a suitable wired or wirelessconnection (a wireless connection may rely upon induction charging). Insome packs, the cylindrical hole may receive the entire e-cigarette forre-charging, while in other packs only a portion of the e-cigarette maybe received into the hole.

In some devices, the pack must be connected to a power supply, e.g. amains outlet or USB connection, during re-charging of the e-cigarettebattery. In this case, the pack is typically acting as a convenientdevice for holding and interfacing to the e-cigarette duringre-charging. In other devices, the pack itself is provided with abattery (or other charge storage facility). The pack battery allows thee-cigarette to be re-charged from the pack without the need for the packto be connected to an external power supply during the re-charging,thereby providing greater convenience for a user.

The pack battery will of course be depleted in due course, and so isgenerally provided with its own re-charging facility—typically againreliant upon some form of mains or USB connection. However, since thepack is larger than an e-cigarette, it can accommodate a larger batteryand therefore the pack does not have to be re-charged as frequently asan e-cigarette. For example, the charge capacity of a typicale-cigarette battery may be approximately 60 mAh, whereas the chargecapacity of a typical pack battery might be in the region of 800 mAh.Accordingly, the pack battery is capable of re-charging the e-cigarettea few times at least before the pack battery itself needs to bere-charged.

Such a multiple or hierarchical arrangement of separately chargeablesystems, namely firstly an e-cigarette and secondly a pack for thee-cigarette, is relatively rare. In contrast, most re-chargeabledevices, e.g. mobile (cell) phones, are usually connected directly to amains-powered charging supply (or else to an in-car charging supply). Itis desirable for the (re)charging of an e-cigarette and associated packto be as reliable and convenient for a user as possible.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments provide a pack for holding and re-charging ane-cigarette. The pack comprises a pack battery; a body portion includinga tube for receiving an e-cigarette; a re-charging mechanism forre-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the packbattery; and a lid attached to the body portion. The lid can be openedto allow the e-cigarette to be received into the tube, and closed toretain the e-cigarette in the tube. The pack is configured to transitionfrom a higher power state to a lower power state a predetermined periodof time after the lid is opened and before the lid has been shut.

Various embodiments also provide a method of operating a pack forholding and re-charging an e-cigarette. The pack comprises a packbattery, a body portion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette, are-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarette received into saidtube using the pack battery, and a lid attached to the body portion. Thelid can be opened to allow the e-cigarette to be received into the tube,and closed to retain the e-cigarette in the tube. The method comprisesdetecting that the lid has been opened; and transitioning the pack froma higher power state to a lower power state a predetermined period oftime after the lid was opened and before the lid has been shut.

The present approach is not restricted to specific embodiments such asset out herein, but features from different embodiments may be combined,modified, omitted or replaced by the skilled person according to thecircumstances of any given implementation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in detail byway of example only with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic (exploded) diagram of an e-cigarette in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pack 100 for receiving and accommodating ane-cigarette in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates the main internal components of the pack of FIG. 2 inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of the pack of FIG. 2, especially regardingthe operation of the lid, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate in more detail the annular light element andthe insert from the pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showingthe annular light element as fitted into the insert; FIG. 6 is anexploded view showing the annular light element and insert disassembled;and FIG. 7 is a cross-section in a vertical plane through the annularlight element as fitted into the insert.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electrical/electronic configurationof the pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 9 presents a flowchart showing various operations of the pack inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an e-cigarette 10 in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure (not to scale). The e-cigarette 10has a generally cylindrical shape, extending along a longitudinal axisindicated by dashed line LA, and comprises two main components, namely abody 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer 30 includes an internalchamber containing a reservoir of nicotine, a vaporizer (such as aheater), and a mouthpiece 35. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or anyother structure for retaining the nicotine until such time that it isrequired to be delivered to the vaporizer. The cartomizer 30 alsoincludes a heater for vaporizing the nicotine and may further include awick or similar facility to transport a small amount of nicotine fromthe reservoir to a heating location on or adjacent the heater.

The body 20 includes a re-chargeable cell or battery to provide power tothe e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for generally controlling thee-cigarette 10. When the heater receives power from the battery, ascontrolled by the circuit board, the heater vaporizes the nicotine andthis vapor is then inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece.

The body 20 and cartomizer 30 are detachable from one another byseparating along the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in FIG. 1, but arejoined together when the device 10 is in use by a connection, indicatedschematically in FIG. 1 as 25A and 25B, to provide mechanical andelectrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. Theelectrical connector on the body 20 that is used to connect to thecartomizer may also serve as a socket for connecting to a chargingdevice (not shown) when the body is detached from the cartomizer 30.

The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown inFIG. 1) for air inlet. These holes connect to an air passage through thee-cigarette 10 to the mouthpiece 35. When a user inhales through themouthpiece 35, air is drawn into this air passage through the one ormore air inlet holes, which are suitably located on the outside of thee-cigarette 10. This airflow (or the resulting change in pressure) isdetected by a pressure sensor that in turn activates the heater tovaporize the nicotine from the cartridge. The airflow passes through,and combines with, the nicotine vapor, and this combination of airflowand nicotine vapor then passes out of the mouthpiece 35 to be inhaled bya user. The cartomizer 30 may be detached from the body 20 and disposedof when the supply of nicotine is exhausted (and replaced with anothercartomizer if so desired).

It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 shown in FIG. 1 ispresented by way of example, and various other implementations can beadopted. For example, in some embodiments, the cartomizer 30 is providedas two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising the nicotinereservoir and mouthpiece (which can be replaced when the nicotine fromthe reservoir is exhausted), and a vaporizer comprising a heater (whichis generally retained). In other embodiments, the e-cigarette 10, thebody 20 and the cartomizer 30 may be joined together permanently, so ineffect they are just a single component. Some such unitary (one-piece)e-cigarettes may allow replenishing of a nicotine reservoir whenexhausted using some suitable (re)supply mechanism; other one-piecee-cigarettes may be disposed of once the nicotine reservoir has beenexhausted. Note that this latter type of device still generally supportsre-charging because the battery will normally become depleted morequickly than the nicotine reservoir. The skilled person will be aware ofmany further possible designs and implementations of an e-cigarette.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pack 100 for receiving and accommodating ane-cigarette in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Thepack comprises a body 120 which is provided with a hinged lid 140 thatcan open and close. The body 120 comprises an outer case or housing 125which is fitted with an insert 130. More particularly, the outer case125 has an opening at the top, i.e. the end at which the lid is located,and the insert 130 is fitted into, and generally closes, this opening.The insert itself is provided with two openings or holes that extenddown into the body 120 of the pack 100. The first opening 132 comprisesa substantially circular hole (in terms of cross-sectional shape). Thefirst opening 132 is surrounded by an annular light element 133, asdescribed in more detail below. The second opening 131 in the insertcomprises a pair of linked holes (only one of which is easily visible inFIG. 2). The openings 132 and 131 (and more particularly, each of thepair of holes formed by opening 131) can be used to receive anappropriately shaped object, such as an e-cigarette, a spare or usedcartridge, etc. The dimensions of pack 100 are generally arranged sothat an e-cigarette accommodated within openings 132 or 131 protrudesslightly out of this opening. This allows a user to readily discern thecontents of pack 100 (as also helped by making lid 140 transparent), andalso facilitates removal by a user of an e-cigarette located within oneof these openings.

The pack 100 is further provided with a set of LED lights 128. These areshown separated from the casing 125 in FIG. 2 in an exploded view, butin the assembled pack 100 are integrated into the body 120 so as to lieflush with the outer casing 125. These LED lights 128 can be used toindicate the charging state of the pack 100, for example, whether it isfully charged, partly charged, or fully discharged. The LEDs lights 128may also be used to indicate whether or not the pack 100 is currentlycharging (being charged). Such charging may be accomplished via a (minior micro) USB link using a (mini or micro) USB connector located on theunderside of the pack 100 (not visible in FIG. 2).

FIG. 3 illustrates the main components that are housed within the body120 of the pack 100, more particularly, within housing 125, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure (some minorcomponents, such as internal wiring, are omitted for reasons ofclarity). The body 120 includes a battery unit 150 comprising a battery151, a printed circuit board (PCB) 154, and a switch 152. For clarity,the battery unit 150 is shown separated from the insert 130, however, inpractice the two are assembled together. The body 120 can be seen toinclude a hinge or axle 134, which provides a pivot about which the lid140 is able to open and shut. The battery unit 150, including the switch152, is located substantially below the hinge 134.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the insert 130 extends substantially to thebottom of the outer casing 125. The insert defines a substantiallycylindrical tube 132A extending down from opening 132, which is able toreceive and hold an e-cigarette. The insert further includes two furthersubstantially cylindrical tubes 131A, 131B, which overlap one another,extending down from opening 131 with a “figure-of-8” cross-section. Notethat the bottom of tubes 132A, 131A and 131B may be closed by the insertitself 130, or may be open, but abutting against the bottom of the outercasing 125, which would then have the effect of again closing the bottomof the tubes 132A, 131A and 131B in order to retain an e-cigarette (orother item, such as a spare cartridge, therein).

Note that the battery 151 is relatively large—comparable in size, forexample, with the opening 132 and associated tube 132A for receiving ane-cigarette. Consequently the battery 151 of the pack 100 will usuallyhave significantly greater electrical storage capacity than a batteryprovided in an e-cigarette which may be accommodated within the pack.This allows the battery in the e-cigarette to be re-charged, typicallyseveral times, using the battery unit 150 of pack 100, without the needfor any additional, external power supply (such as a mains connection).This can be very convenient for a user, who may be in a location orsituation which does not provide a ready connection to the mains.

In order to support this re-charging of an e-cigarette stored within thepack 100, a portion of the tube 132A is provided with a coil 170 whichis coaxial with the tube 132A and forms in effect a collar or sleevearound the tube 132A. This tube is used to perform induction charging ofan e-cigarette located in the tube 132A. Alternatively, the tube 132Amay be provided with a suitable electrical contact at its base (orelsewhere) to provide a wired power supply for an e-cigarette (orportion thereof) inserted into the tube 132A. For example, in someembodiments, the body portion 20 of e-cigarette 10 such as shown in FIG.1 might be inserted into tube 132A for re-charging via connector 25B. Insuch an embodiment, tube 132A may be reduced in length so that someportion of the body 20 protrudes from the top of tube 132A, therebyfacilitating easier removal of the body from the tube. In this case, thetube 132A may or may not be able to accommodate a fully assemblede-cigarette (but this can be facilitated by providing increased space(depth) in lid 140).

The insert is provided with two printed circuit boards (PCBs), 135 and160. The PCB 160 provides the main control functionality of the pack, aswill be described in more detail below, and is attached to tubes 131A,131B by pegs that extend outwards from the walls of tube 131A, 131Bthrough corresponding holes 162 in the PCB 160, thereby retaining thePCB in the appropriate position relative to the tubes 131A, 131B. Amini-USB (or micro-USB) connector 164 is provided at the bottom of thePCB 160, and is accessible through a corresponding aperture in theunderside of the housing 125 of the pack body 120. This USB connectorcan be used to connect an external power supply to the pack 100 forre-charging the battery 151 (and also any e-cigarette located in hole132A). The USB connector may also be used, if so desired, forcommunications with the electronics of the e-cigarette, for example toupdate software on the PCB 160 and/or to download usage data from thePCB, etc. The PCB 160 is further provided with a set of physical andmechanical connectors 161 for retaining and operating the LED lighting128. In particular, the PCB 160 controls the LED lighting element 128 toprovide an indication to a user about the current charging situation ofthe pack 100, plus any other suitable information.

The other PCB 135 associated with the insert is located on the outsideof re-charging tube 132A, relatively near the top, i.e. closer to thehole or opening 132 for receiving an e-cigarette for re-charging. ThisPCB 135 incorporates at least one light emitting diode (LED), which isused to illuminate the annular light element 133, as described in moredetail below.

It will be appreciated that the configuration and arrangement of thepack and insert shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are provided by way of example,and the skilled person will be aware of many potential variations—e.g.the number, position, size and/or shape of holes 131, 132 may vary fromone embodiment to another, likewise the associated tubes 131A, 131B,132A. Similarly, the details of the positioning, shape and size of thebattery unit 150, PCB 160, and other components will generally vary fromone embodiment to another, depending upon the particular circumstancesand requirements of any given implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of the pack 100 in terms of the operation ofthe action of the lid 140 as it rotates open and shut about hinge 134.In particular, FIG. 4 comprises a cross-section view through the pack100 in a vertical plane in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention. The insert 130 is provided with a biasing unit comprising acoil spring 182 and a cap 183, the end of which is emphasized by aprotruding nipple 184. As the lid 140 is rotated open from the closedposition shown in FIG. 4, the lid arm 142 pivots in counter-clockwisefashion about hinge (axle) 134. This rotation causes the arm 142 to pushagainst the cap 183, thereby tending to compress spring 182, whichtherefore opposes this initial stage of the rotation of the lid.However, once the corner 144 of the arm 142 which is furthest from thehinge 134 has passed the nipple 184 on the cap, further rotation of thelid in an opening direction allows the spring 182 to expand again. Inother words, the spring 182 encourages this later stage of rotation(which continues until the arm 142 reaches a mechanical stop, providedby the top rim or ledge 126 of the outer casing 125). This two-stageeffect of the spring 182 provides an over-centre biasing mechanism withrespect to the opening of the lid 140, in effect driving the lid to oneof two favored positions—either fully open or fully shut.

The rotational movement of the lid arm 142 between the open and shutpositions also results in a mechanical engagement between the lid arm142 and the switch 152 attached to the PCB. In particular, opening andclosing of the lid activate the switch 152 in opposite directions,thereby allowing the control system of the pack to use the state ofswitch 152 to determine whether the lid of the pack is open or shut.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate in more detail the annular light element 133and its relationship to the insert 130 in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5 is a perspectiveview showing the annular light element 133 as fitted into the insert 130(and also outer case 125); FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing theannular light element 133 and insert 130 disassembled; and FIG. 7 is across-section in a vertical plane through the annular light element 133as fitted into the insert 130.

The annular light element 133 is in the shape of a tube or sleeve. Theinner surface of this tube comprises a cylinder of circularcross-section and is sized to receive an e-cigarette for storage and/orre-charging. The outer surface of the tube is likewise generally acylinder of circular cross-section, but has two additional features. Thefirst is a lip or rim 137 directed radially outwards at the top of theannular light element (assuming the normal orientation of pack 100,whereby the lid is at the top, and an e-cigarette 10 would be inserteddownwards through opening 132). This lip rests on a corresponding ledgeformed at the top of tube 132A, adjacent opening 132, and the lip andledge cooperate to maintain the annular light element at the correctposition within the tube 132A—i.e. so that the annular light elementdoes not disappear further down into the tube 132A. The lip also helpsto provide a greater light emitting area, as described in more detailbelow.

The second additional feature is a flattened or planar surface 138,which in a horizontal plane forms a chord with respect to the otherwisecircular outer cross-section of the annular light element. Thisflattened surface 138 helps to prevent rotation of the angular lightelement 133 within tube 132A in an azimuthal direction about the axis oftube 132A (which is coaxial with the axis of the annular light element,and also an inserted e-cigarette).

The flattened surface 138 is positioned facing and immediately adjacentto the PCB 135 which incorporates at least one light emitting diode(LED). As noted above, this LED is used to illuminate the annular lightelement 133. This transfer of light from the LED into the annular lightelement 133 is facilitated by the flattened surface 138 of the annularlight element 133, since it allows a greater surface area of the annularlight element 133 to be positioned close to the LED. The light transferis also facilitated by a slot or aperture 138 which is cut into the wallof the tube 132A (see FIG. 6). In particular, the aperture 138 allowsthe LED provided by the PCB 135 to protrude into and through the wall ofthe tube 132A, and hence to lie immediately adjacent the annular lightelement 133.

The annular light element 133 is formed of a transparent or translucentmaterial which allows light from the LED to spread through the materialof the annular light element. This light is able to exit through the topof the annular light element, and hence is visible to a user. It will beappreciated that lip 137 helps to expose a greater surface area of theannular light element 133 for this emission of light, thereby increasingvisibility to a user.

The annular light element provides an indication to the user of thecharging state of an e-cigarette inserted into the tube 132A. Inparticular, the PCB 135 is controlled to illuminate the LED according tovarious predetermined criteria relating to the charging state of thee-cigarette, thereby providing the user with direct visual informationrelating to this charging state.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electrical/electronic configurationof the pack 100. Note that this diagram is primarily concerned withcontrol operation rather than power supply (so, for example, a directpower supply linkage from pack battery 151 to switch/PCB is omitted).FIG. 8 also assumes that the control functionality for the pack resideson the main PCB 160, although some elements of this controlfunctionality may be distributed or off-loaded as appropriate to PCB 154or PCB 135.

The primary control inputs to the PCB 160, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure, are as follows:

-   -   a) external power supply available through USB connector 164        (yes/no). (There may also be additional control information        provided by the USB connector, for example, to reset any usage        data maintained within PCB 160, but these are not relevant for        present purposes.)    -   b) level of charge in pack battery 151. The PCB then uses the        LED lights 128 of the pack to provide the user with an        indication of this charge level.    -   c) pack lid 140 open or shut according to switch 152.    -   d) presence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A (yes/no).        (It will be appreciated that this set of control inputs is        provided by way of example only, and other embodiments may not        have all the above control inputs and/or may have additional        control inputs.)

With regard to (d), the presence or absence of an e-cigarette can onlychange when the lid is open, as detected by switch 152 (otherwise ane-cigarette cannot be inserted into or removed from the tube 132A).There are various ways in which such a change can be determined. Forexample, inserting an e-cigarette will change the effective inductanceof the charging coil 170, by virtue of the mutual inductance arisingfrom the corresponding induction charging coil in the e-cigarette, andthis change in effective inductance can be detected by the PCB 160 orother sensor. Alternatively, if the pack uses a wired connection forre-charging, then the resistance across and/or current through the wiredconnection will change upon contact with an e-cigarette. A furtherpossibility is to use some other sensing or communication mechanism,e.g. mechanical, electrical, or optical, to determine the presence orabsence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A. For example, the PCB 135 maycapture light from LED 135 which is reflected back towards PCB 135, andthe amount of such reflected light will vary according to whether or notan e-cigarette is present in tube 135. As another example, the bottom oftube 132A may include a mechanical switch, which is activated when ane-cigarette sits in the tube. The skilled person will be aware offurther possible mechanisms for detecting the presence of an e-cigarettein the tube 132A.

The PCB 160 may also be provided with information concerning the levelof charge of the battery within the e-cigarette. This information mayjust be a piece of binary information, namely whether or not the batteryis fully charged. Alternatively, the PCB 160 may receive more granularinformation concerning the level of charge of the battery within thee-cigarette, such as an approximate percentage of the current chargelevel. As before, there are various ways in which the PCB 160 may beprovided with this information (which may potentially different from howthe PCB determines the presence (or absence) of an e-cigarette in tube132A). For example, as the e-cigarette battery becomes more charged,this may increase the effective loading on the charging circuit (wiredor wireless), in that the charging has to overcome the opposing voltageof the battery which is being charged (which generally rises with anincreasing level of charge). This increase in the effective loading onthe charging circuit may be monitored to provide an indication of thecharge level of the battery within the e-cigarette. Alternatively, for awired connection between the pack and the e-cigarette, the voltage levelof the battery within the e-cigarette may be applied to a particularcontact, and hence is available for direct measurement by the pack.Another possible approach is for the e-cigarette itself to monitor thevoltage (and hence charge) level of its battery and then to communicatethis information to the re-charging pack—for example, over some data orcontrol line for a wired connection, or over some wireless communicationlink (e.g. Bluetooth) for wireless (such as induction) charging.

As mentioned above, the annular light element 133 is used to provide anindication to the user of the charging state of an e-cigarette insertedinto the tube 132A. The charging state may indicate one or more of thefollowing:

-   -   a) whether or not the pack is currently charging the e-cigarette        battery (through coil 170 in the embodiment of FIG. 3);    -   b) whether or not the e-cigarette battery is fully charged;    -   c) some indication of the level of charge of the e-cigarette        (intermediate between empty and full);    -   d) an error state or cut-off, e.g. because of an excess        temperature has been detected in the pack or the e-cigarette.        (It will be appreciated that this set of indications is provided        by way of example only, and other embodiments may not provide        all the above indications and/or may provide additional        indications.)

Regarding (d), the pack and/or the e-cigarette may be provided with oneor more suitable temperature sensors to make such a detection ofover-heating, and such sensor(s) may supply a further control input tothe PCB 160 to flag that the pack or e-cigarette is above a thresholdtemperature. The skilled person will be aware of various other errorstates that may arise (and be indicated to a user), for example, thedetection of excess charging voltage or current, or a failure todetermine whether or not an e-cigarette is present in tube 132A, etc.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure, the PCB 160controls the PCB 135 and its associated light diode according to thecharging conditions specified in Table 1 below. In particular, the CPU160 detects transitions between the various states, based on the controlinputs mentioned above, in order to detect the current state, and thensets the light operation as appropriate for (i.e. corresponding to) thecurrent state.

TABLE 1 State of light signal according to charging state State Lightoperation No e-cigarette in pack Off Connected to external power supply(via Pulsed (flashing) USB 164) - e-cigarette charging Connected toexternal power supply (via On USB 164) - e-cigarette fully charged Notconnected to external power supply - Pulsed for 10 seconds - then openlid - e-cigarette charging fades out Not connected to external powersupply - On for 10 seconds - then fades open lid - e-cigarette fullycharged out Not connected to external power supply - Any existinglighting is faded lid closed out

(Note that Table 1 only relates to functional states of the pack ande-cigarette—it does not include error states such as over-current; thesecan be indicated or flagged by similar modes of flashing lights, lightson and off, etc as for the functional states.)

The annular lighting element 133 (in combination with the PCB and LED135) provides the user with an indication of the charging state of ane-cigarette in tube 132A. If no e-cigarette is present in tube 132A, thelight (as provided by the PCB/LED 135 and annular lighting element) isoff. However, if an e-cigarette is present, and the pack is connected toan external power supply, such as via USB connector 164, then the lighthas one of two states: (i) flashing or pulsing (intermittently on), toindicate that the battery in the e-cigarette is being charged; and (ii)continuously on to indicate that the battery in the e-cigarette is fullycharged.

If an e-cigarette is present, but the pack is not connected to anexternal power supply, then the behavior is modified in view of thelimited power available within the pack battery 151. If the lid is open,then the light is again flashed or pulsed to indicate that the batteryin the e-cigarette is partly charged, or is permanently on to indicatethat the battery in the e-cigarette is fully charged. However, thisillumination of the light (either intermittent or continuous) is onlyfor a first predetermined time period, say 10 seconds, after which thelight fades out. This period is long enough to provide a clearindication of the charging status to the user, but no long enough todrain significant power from the pack battery 151. If the lid is closedwhile the light is illuminated (again either intermittently orcontinuously), then the light fades out over a predetermined timeperiod, for example, 2 seconds. For example, if the pack is connected tothe mains supply (with the lid already closed), the light is illuminatedto indicate the charge state of the e-cigarette in tube 132A. If thepack is now disconnected from the mains supply, this light signal isfaded out.

Although not explicitly indicated in Table 1, if the pack is notconnected to an external power supply, the battery 151 of the pack 100may be too depleted to re-charge a partly depleted e-cigarette battery.In this case, the light may still be illuminated intermittently toindicate the partly charged status of the e-cigarette (even though thereis no active re-charging in progress). However, if the e-cigarette isfully charged, this can be indicated by having the light continuouslyon, subject to the fading specified in Table 1 according to whether thelid is open or shut—in essence, if the lid is shut, then the fadingbegins immediately, whereas if the lid is open, the fading is delayeduntil after expiry of the first predetermined time period. Of course, ifthe battery 151 of the pack becomes fully deleted and there is noconnection to an external power supply, then the light provided by PCB135 will necessarily be off (because there is nothing to power it). Sucha situation, namely the depletion of the pack battery, will be apparentto a user because the pack LEDs 128 will likewise be out (off) as well.

The above scheme of indications allows a user to rapidly determine thecurrent charging state—especially whether the e-cigarette is currentlybeing charged or is now fully charged. For example, if the pack isdisconnected from the mains and the lid is closed, the lighting element133 will be off. When a user opens the pack to access an e-cigarette,the lighting element 133 will be illuminated for the predeterminedperiod of time to allow a user to discern the current charge state of ane-cigarette in tube 132A.

FIG. 9 presents a flowchart showing various operations of the pack 100in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. These operationsmay be generally managed by a control facility on the main PCB 160 (suchas a microcontroller or processor). The starting point for theprocessing of FIG. 9 is assumed to be that the pack is closed. It is nowdetected that the lid is opened (operation 900) by virtue of the switch152 and PCB 154 as described above. This detection causes the controlfacility to initiate an active mode (operation 910) during which variousfunctionality associated with the active mode is performed (operation920). Some of the functionality which is (or may be) associated with theactive mode is described in more detail below. The initiation of theactive mode at operation 910 also starts a timer, such as may beprovided on the main PCB 160. The system performs the functionalityassociated with the active mode until this timer expires (operation930), which is assumed to occur after a time interval of N1.

The expiry of the timer causes the pack to enter an inactive mode(operation 940). As part of this inactive mode, the functionalityassociated with the active mode is generally terminated or performed ata reduced level. This inactive mode is then maintained until the lid isclosed (operation 950), which may be detected again by virtue of theswitch 152 and PCB 154 as described above. This causes the pack toperform some functionality associated with the lid closure (operation960) before returning to the beginning of the processing shown in FIG.9, namely waiting for the lid to open.

The processing of FIG. 9 helps to conserve power in the battery 151 ofthe pack 100, in that the active mode terminates after a predeterminedtime, and the inactive mode is commenced. Although some of thefunctionality of the active mode may be continued into the inactive mode(potentially at a reduced level), the overall amount of functionalitywhich is performed in the inactive mode is lower than the functionalityperformed in the active mode. The power consumption in the inactive modeis therefore correspondingly lower than in the active mode.

The timer interval N1 representing the duration of the active mode maybe varied according to the particular circumstances. For example, if thebattery 151 of the pack is fully charged (or mostly charged), the timerinterval N1 may be set to a greater value than when the pack battery 151has a lower level of charging. In other words, having a lower charge onthe battery will result in a shorter active period N1, thereby helpingto conserve the (relatively small) remaining amount of battery charge.Another possibility is that if the pack is actively connected to anexternal power supply (mains/USB), then the active mode may bemaintained indefinitely, i.e. N1 is effectively set to infinity. This isbecause in such a situation there is no need to conserve charge on thebattery (because the active mode is being powered by the external powersupply, and the battery itself is being re-charged).

There are various pieces of functionality that may be performed as partof the active mode. For example, as described above (see Table 1), thelight 133 around opening 132 may be illuminated for a predeterminedperiod (say 10 seconds) after the lid opens to indicate a chargingstatus of an e-cigarette located within opening 132. After thispredetermined period, which corresponds to the timer interval N1, thelight 133 is faded—i.e. this functionality, which is part of the activemode, is terminated.

Another piece of functionality that may be performed as part of theactive mode is the illumination of the LEDs 128. Thus as noted above,these LEDs provide a user with an indication of the charging status ofthe battery 151 within the pack 100. The LEDs are generally off when thepack lid 140 is closed but are illuminated, as part of the active modefunctionality, when the lid is opened at operation 900. As shown in FIG.2, the pack is provided with multiple LEDs, and the current level ofcharge of the battery 151 may be indicated by illuminating acorresponding number (proportion) of these LEDs—e.g. having a greatercharge in the battery leads to an increased number of LEDs beingilluminated. However, after the predetermined period N1 has expired,these LEDs 128 are then faded out, as part of the transition to aninactive mode, in order to conserve battery power.

A further piece of functionality that may be performed as part of theactive mode is to detect the presence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A. Asnoted above, there are various ways in which such a detection can beperformed. For example, inserting an e-cigarette will change theeffective inductance of the charging coil 170, by virtue of the mutualinductance arising from the corresponding induction charging coil in thee-cigarette, and this change in effective inductance can be detected bythe PCB 160 or other sensor. Alternatively, if the pack uses a wiredconnection for re-charging, then the resistance across and/or currentthrough the wired connection will change upon contact with ane-cigarette, similarly for any capacitance. A further possibility is touse some other sensing or communication mechanism, e.g. mechanical,electrical, or optical, to determine the presence or absence of ane-cigarette in tube 132A.

This detection function (however implemented) may be operational inactive mode, but may be discontinued in inactive mode. In other words,if there is no e-cigarette in tube 132A when the lid is open, then thefunctionality to detect the insert of an e-cigarette into tube 132 maybe active for a period of time N1. After this time interval N1 hasexpired, the detection functionality may be switched off (becomeinactive). Accordingly, if an e-cigarette is inserted into tube 132Aafter the time interval N1, this may not be detected by the controlfacility. Consequently, the control facility may not start charging thee-cigarette from the battery pack 151 and/or may not illuminate thelight 133 to indicate the charging status of the e-cigarette (asdescribed above).

In some cases the detection functionality may be operational in theinactive mode, but in a reduced manner. For example, during active modethe detection functionality may make a repeated check to determine thepresence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A, for example at a time intervalN2 (where N2 is typically >>N1). On the other hand, during inactive modethe detection functionality may make a repeated check to determine thepresence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A at a time interval N3 (whereN3>N2).

The processing may be somewhat different if an e-cigarette is initiallypresent in the tube 132A when the pack 100 is opened, in which case thedetection functionality aims to determine when the e-cigarette has beenremoved from tube 132A. If the e-cigarette is being charged from thebattery pack 151 while it is in tube 132A, it may be desirable for thedetection functionality to remain operational during this period, so itcan switch off the charging facility upon removal of the e-cigarette.Accordingly, the pack may remain in active mode while the charging isstill in progress or alternatively the detection functionality maycontinue to be operational when the pack goes into inactive mode (whenthe e-cigarette is initially present at operation 900). It will beappreciated that in any case, the amount of power taken to remain inactive mode or to maintain the detection facility in operation willnormally be lower than the power taken to recharge an e-cigarette intube 132A.

If the pack does not contain an e-cigarette on lid opening (at operation900), and then goes into inactive mode without an e-cigarette beinginserted, then an insertion occurring after the expiry of the intervalN1 may be detected at operation 960, as part of the functionalityperformed on lid closure. This is an appropriate timing for performingsuch a detection, since the pack closure represents a positive (andperhaps conclusory) action by the user, which may be linked to someother action (such as inserting an e-cigarette into the pack). Inaddition, it will be appreciated that an e-cigarette cannot be insertedinto the pack once the lid has been closed, so that trying to detect aninserted e-cigarette at this stage represents a final, one-off check. Ifan e-cigarette is detected at this stage (as part of the functionalityof operation 960), then this may trigger one or more additional actionsof the control facility, for example, initiating charging of thee-cigarette from the pack battery 151 if appropriate. On the other hand,if it is confirmed that no e-cigarette is present at this stage, thentube 132A will remain empty at least until the lid is opened, whichreturns to operation 900 (and the subsequent processing as describedabove).

FIG. 9 shows the lid being closed (operation 950) after the timeinterval N1 has elapsed (at operation 930) since the lid was opened(operation 900)—thereby including the transition from active mode toinactive mode. However, a user may of course sometimes close the lidbefore the expiry of the time interval N1. In these circumstances thepack does not transition from active mode to inactive mode, but ratherwould go straight, in effect, from operation 920 to operation 950 inFIG. 9. In this case, some or all of the lid closure functionality ofoperation 960 may be unnecessary, because there was no time spent in theinactive mode to cover for. On the other hand, the lid closurefunctionality of operation 960 may still be performed, even ifpotentially redundant, by way of a safeguard or double-check (such as towhether the pack now contains an e-cigarette).

Although in the particular example of Table 1 above, N1 equals 10seconds, it will be appreciated that there are many other possibilities.For example, N1 may lie in the range of 2 second to 2 minutes, or therange of 4 seconds to 1 minute, or of 5 to 30 seconds, or of 5 to 20seconds, or of 8 to 15 seconds. In addition, in some implementations thevalue of N1 may vary according to the particular piece of functionality.Thus one piece of functionality may be active for a first value of N1(say N1 a), while another piece of functionality may be active for asecond, different value of N1 (say N1 b, where N1 b does not equal N1a). In this case the transition from active mode to inactive mode isstaggered for the different pieces of functionality. This may be helpfulif some of the functionality in active mode consumes more power and/oris less important than other functionality (whereby it may be desirableto retain the latter functionality in an active state for longer thanthe former functionality). Also, the transition from active mode toinactive mode does not have to be sharp, but may be gradual—for example,as per the gradual fading of light 133 after the lid has been open for10 seconds, as described above.

As described herein, a pack is provided for holding and re-charging ane-cigarette. Such an e-cigarette may comprise an electronic vaporprovision system (the vapor may or may not be nicotine), an electronicnicotine delivery system, etc. The pack includes a pack battery and abody portion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette. The packfurther includes a re-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarettereceived into the tube using the pack battery (which is typicallysignificantly larger than any battery included in the e-cigarette). There-charging mechanism may utilize a wired or wireless connection to thee-cigarette. The pack further includes a lid attached to the bodyportion. The lid can be opened to allow the e-cigarette to be receivedinto the tube, and closed to retain the e-cigarette in the tube. Thepack is configured to transition from a higher power state to a lowerpower state a predetermined period of time after the lid is opened (andwhile the lid is still open). The lower power state draws less powerfrom the pack battery than the higher power state, and thereby helps toconserve charge in the pack battery.

On the other hand, in some cases, if the pack is connected to anexternal power source (such as a USB connector or the mains), thetransition from a higher power state to a lower power state may notoccur. This is because it is generally not necessary to conserve batterypower in such circumstances (since the pack battery itself is beingrecharged).

The pack may include a switch (electrical or mechanical) which isactivated by the lid opening and closing. The predetermined period oftime commences when the switch is activated by the lid opening and thetransition to a lower power state occurs after the predetermined timeperiod has expired, assuming that the lid remains open.

The pack may include lights for indicating the charge status of the packbattery and/or the e-cigarette. These lights may be illuminated when thelid is opened, but are then switched off after the predetermined periodas part of the transition from a higher power state to a lower powerstate to conserve power.

The pack may include a mechanism for detecting whether an e-cigarette islocated in the tube. The detection mechanism is activated when the lidis opened, and then de-activated as part of the transition from a higherpower state to a lower power state if an e-cigarette has not beeninserted into the tube during the predetermined time period. In otherwords, if an e-cigarette is inserted into the tube, this will bedetected by the pack if the predetermined time period has not yetexpired, but will not be detected by the pack if the predetermined timeperiod has now expired (because the detection mechanism is no longeractivated).

Note that the detection of the e-cigarette inserted into the tube maytrigger additional actions, for example, illumination of a light toindicate the charge status of the inserted e-cigarette. However, if thee-cigarette is inserted into the tube after the predetermined period hasexpired, and hence no detection is made, then such additional actions,e.g. illumination of a charge status light, will therefore not occur. Asimilar situation may occur, for example, in relation to the re-chargingmechanism, which may not start re-charging an e-cigarette which isinserted into the tube after the detection mechanism has beende-activated as part of the transition from a higher power state to alower power state.

In some embodiments, the mechanism for detecting whether an e-cigarettehas been inserted into the tube may be re-activated when the lid isclosed. This will generally be a short (temporary) re-activation to makea final check on whether an e-cigarette is located in the tube in thepack. If such a detection is positive, the pack may initiate somefurther processing, such as beginning to re-charge the e-cigarette fromthe pack battery. On the other hand, some other functionality might notbe utilized—e.g. lights to indicate a charging status of the e-cigarettemight not now be illuminated, since the closed lid of the pack mayindicate that the pack is being put away, e.g. into a bag.

Although certain pieces of functionality have been described hereinwhich switch off or reduce upon the transition from active mode toinactive mode, the skilled person will be aware of various other piecesof functionality which may make a similar transition. For example, thepack and/or e-cigarette may have some communication facility (e.g.Bluetooth) which can turn off or hibernate upon entering inactive mode.

In conclusion, this disclosure shows by way of illustration variousembodiments in which that which is claimed may be practiced. Theadvantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sampleof embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They arepresented only to assist in understanding and to teach that which isclaimed. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples,functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosureare not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by theclaims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that otherembodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitablycomprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations ofthe disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etcother than those specifically described herein. The disclosure mayinclude other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimedin future.

1. A pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette, the packcomprising: a pack battery; a body portion including a tube forreceiving an e-cigarette; a first re-charging mechanism for re-chargingthe e-cigarette received into the tube using the pack battery; a secondre-charging mechanism for re-charging the pack battery; and a lidattached to the body portion, wherein the lid can be opened to allow thee-cigarette to be received into the tube, and closed to retain thee-cigarette in the tube, wherein the first re-charging mechanism forre-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the packbattery comprises one of a coil which is coaxial with the tube toperform induction charging of an e-cigarette, or an electrical contactat a base of the tube to provide a wired power supply for thee-cigarette or a portion thereof inserted into the tube.
 2. The pack ofclaim 1, wherein the tube can accommodate a fully assembled e-cigarette.3. The pack of claim 1, further comprising a switch which is activatedby the lid opening or closing.
 4. The pack of claim 1, wherein the packincludes one or more lights for indicating a charge status of the packbattery.
 5. The pack of claim 4, wherein the pack is configured toilluminate the one or more lights to indicate the charge status of thepack battery when the lid is opened.
 6. The pack of claim 1, wherein thepack includes at least one light for indicating a charge status of ane-cigarette contained in the tube.
 7. The pack of claim 6, wherein thepack is configured to illuminate the at least one light to indicate thecharge status of the e-cigarette when the lid is opened.
 8. The pack ofclaim 6, wherein the charge status is used to indicate a level of chargeof the e-cigarette intermediate between empty and full.
 9. The pack ofclaim 6, wherein the charge status is used to indicate whether or notthe e-cigarette battery is fully charged.
 10. The pack of claim 6,wherein the charge status is used to indicate whether or not the pack iscurrently charging the e-cigarette battery.
 11. The pack of claim 6,wherein the charge status is used to indicate an error condition. 12.The pack of claim 1, wherein the pack is configured to determine acharge status of the e-cigarette battery by monitoring an effectiveloading on a charging circuit of the recharging mechanism.
 13. The packof claim 1, wherein the pack is configured to determine a charge statusof the e-cigarette battery by receiving a communication from thee-cigarette.
 14. The pack of claim 13 wherein the communication isprovided over a data or control line for a wired connection.
 15. Thepack of claim 13, wherein the communication is provided over a wirelesscommunication link.
 16. The pack of claim 1, further comprising atemperature sensor for detecting over-heating if the pack or thee-cigarette is above a threshold temperature.
 17. The pack of claim 1,wherein the pack includes a mechanism for detecting whether ane-cigarette is located in the tube.
 18. The pack of claim 17, whereinthe pack is configured to re-charge the e-cigarette upon detecting thatthe e-cigarette is located in the tube and the lid is closed.